Sorry about the lack of photos in this post by the way… I forgot my camera…

I remember meeting the guys from Chase at Taste of Christmas in December 2008. This was the first time that I had come across the brand, or at least I thought it was. Chase had recently become Chase after a name change from Tyrrell’s, the crisp company that William Chase had established on his potato farm.

I had discovered Tyrrell’s vodka that year and thought it to be a gimmick at the time and not had the opportunity to sample it. In fact I still haven’t and might never, as bottles of Tyrrell’s vodka are scarce (though Jamie Baxter informs me that he has 3000!). Tyrrell’s is a slightly different liquid to Chase, distilled three times instead of four.

Back to 2008, I was doing gin seminars at Taste of Christmas and got introduced to some of the folk from Chase. I have always loved potato vodkas, they offer something a little different from grain, creamy mouth feel, elements of butter and mashed potato… on the whole, much better for sipping and great in a martini. But Chase had really outdone themselves. This was the post I wrote at the time and I think my enthusiasm resonates through. I have stayed in contact with Chase over the last couple of years, partly because my blog post was very popular (it’s still the 2nd result on google, when you search ‘Chase Vodka’), but until recently not got around to visiting.

It’s hard to prepare yourself for this distillery. It is genuinely a fully functional farm, rotating between spuds and grain, with a lovely apple orchard to boot. We took a tour around some of the fields. In the middle of the farm is a large shed with a weird roof extension on top, that looks like a small hat for the roof, raised up 4-5 meters. This extension is there to accommodate the copper column still that is used to rectify their spirit.

Around 10% of the potatoes grown in the farm are used for the vodka, they are peeled (no, not by hand), mashed, fermented and distilled four times, then bottled by hand entirely on site. There are few distilleries that I can think of who can claim to be so self sufficient. The only way they could be more self-sufficient is if they built the still themselves by copper mined in the hills nearby!

Jamie Baxter is the master distiller. Now here is where it gets really fun. Jamie has worked for William Chase since way before he had aspirations of vodka production, Jamie is a spud farmer and crisp maker… he knows a lot about potatoes. When William decided that he wanted to produce vodka he asked Jamie to build him a distillery. With literally no prior experience of distilling, that is exactly what Jamie did (with the help of some German still manufacturers). Jamie taught himself to distill, read lots of books, practiced and became rather good at it. Having dabbled myself, I am well aware of the smoke and mirrors placed around distillation, Jamie is too. He tells me as we walk through the potato fields that ‘distilling is easy’. Clearly he has a natural gift for it, as this man who is so good at making crisps, has just had his vodka crowned best in the world at the recent San Francisco spirits awards.

It is inspiring to see such a ‘farmers market’ approach applied to something that is usually such and industrialised process.

But it doesn’t end there. As well as a range of liqueurs, Chase have launched their gin offering ‘Willams Gin’, incorporating a dozen botanicals, including hops, elderflower and cider apples. It’s vapour infused though one of Jamie’s old pillow cases, as you would expect.

Also sat very near to the gin still is a selection of French Limousin casks containing cider brandy. I was lucky enough to sample it at cask strength and despite it only being 9 months old, it has taken on an enormous amount of character from the oak, sat below the hot distillery pipes. They are also playing with aged vodka, sloe gin, smoked vodka and marmalade vodka.

After the tour James Chase gave out samples of the various products that the distillery currently offers. We tried the vodka with Chase elderflower liqueur and apple juice that had been pressed from the orchard that morning.

As the day drew to a close James and I had a chat about the spirit market and some of the stuff that they are planning to do in London with the vodka. Then we had a little laugh about the two gentlemen who has arrived on the tour wearing suits, as James sat there in muddy wellies, sipping from his glass of world beating vodka, made on the copper still next to him, in a shed on a farm in Herefordshire.

Purl is not the first bar that I have opened (actually the 3^rd), but it is my first bar. Anyone who has ever opened a bar/restaurant, or even a business with a shop front, will probably be aware of the huge list of considerations to be taken in order for things to run smoothly. Even once all of those considerations are ticked off, there are usually a few more fires to put out and problems to solve. Fortunately I was prepared for this and I can honestly say that the process of getting Purl ready was as smooth as I could have hoped it would be (and I am aware that this fact might seem unbelievable to some people!)

Sure there were hiccups, the rewiring of nearly all of our electrics was the main one. Despite having an electrical certificate in hand, we found that there were faults on virtually every circuit, which had been passed simply by unplugging the wires – A bit like unplugging a steering wheel so that a car can pass its MOT.

This lead on to some small cashflow issues, when business owners talk about cashflow being important, they ain’t kidding.

But despite all of that we managed to open on time and even hold our opening party on the date that we had planned from day one…  a day earlier and we probably wouldn’t have been ready.

So what has happened since we opened?

Well in short, we are doing everything that we said we would. Our cocktail list celebrates some of our favourite classics as a testament to old school bartending. It also introduces some newer forward thinking cocktails with serves the likes of which have never been seen before, to our knowledge. We have a permanent block of 14kg crystal clear ice for carving, we are developing exciting new drinks using liquid nitrogen and we are talking to our customers a lot about how they like their drinks.

We have been lucky enough to be featured in the Time Out top ten bars and pubs in London and got a great review from View London amongst others, only a matter of weeks after opening.

What have I learned so far?

• Some customers will be rude to you even if you are the owner (though nearly all our customers are wonderful people!)
• People in London love to talk and learn about their drinks.
• I’ve missed bartending more than I thought, though maybe not so much if it were doing it for someone else.
• Putting a little extra effort into every drink does go a long way.
• Local customers are the best customers.
• Dry Ice gets people very excited.
• Liquid Nitrogen makes VERY cold martinis.
• (Sadly) Some people will steal anything that isn’t bolted down.
• Scaffolder’s don’t give a crap and probably never will.

Drop down to Purl and see us any evening except Sunday’s – I’m often there during the day too.

50/54 Blandford Street

W1U 7HX

Anyone who follows me on twitter will already be aware of the situation, but for those who don’t, here is the lowdown. Along weith my fellow Fluid Movement partners, I have purchased a former wine bar in Marylebone. We have spent nearly every waking hour of the last three weeks there, in the familiar company of tile adhesive, sawdust and paint. The bar which we are designing is a testament to the 40 years combined bartending experience that we hold together. With less than two weeks remaining before we open doors to the masses we are busy applying final touches and ordering the last pieces of furniture. Aside from a rather serious diagnosis by our electrician and the resulting bill, the whole process has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Along with the feeling of being self-employed, the sensation of building your own empire and making decisions at your own pace is truly liberating, and definitely something I could get used to!

The name Purl comes from a 19th century beverage that was commonly sold on the streets of London. The drink consists of warm ale, gin and spices. It’s in keeping with our theme of late 19th century birth of cocktails along with pre-prohibition cocktail culture and the art deco period… plus Purl is a nice word (it’s also the sound that water makes when it flows over rocks). Contrary to the vintage drinking era that Purl will typify, the cocktail list will be an ever-evolving mixture of hard core classics and forward thinking sensory peculiarities. You’ll have to pop on down to find out more, but we will be incorporating foams, caviar, homemade infusions, home-aged bitters, ice carving and even liquid nitrogen.

I would love to see you all in Purl for a cocktail soon, so please head on down and make sure you introduce yourself, our oepning night is Thursday 27th May, all are welcome.

Purl

50/54 Blandford Street

Marylebone

W1U 7HZ

www.purl-london.com

Distillate Strength, Time & Cut

Strength – Most Whisky distilleries distil their product twice, this results in a liquid of relatively low strength, 55-70%abv. As a result of this the distillate retains many of the characteristics of the malted, fermented barley. There are a few distilleries who distil their product three times (Auchentoshan being one notable example), this results in a lighter, purer liquid. The strength that the new make whisky comes off the still will be proportional to the flavour retained from the barley

Time – The speed at which the product emerges from the still is proportional to the strength, with hasty runs resulting in a lower strength distillate.  Slower runs result in more reflux, the process of repeated evaporation and condensation within the head of the still, which ultimately leads to a more refined product.

Cut - All whiskies are ‘cut’ when coming off the still. This process is completed by the distiller, who selects which part of the product to keep and which to throw away. The initial flow of liquid (heads) contain dangerous keytones such as acetone, and light alcohols like methanol, these need to be discarded due to their toxicity, they are called the ‘foreshots’. Once the dangerous bits have been removed the distiller will the select the correct time (and temperature) to divert the flow of the run for collection as ‘potable spirit’. When all of the quality product has been collected the distiller will select the correct moment to transfer the flow of liquid again and discard the tails (or ‘feints’). This part of the distillate contains lower strength, heavier alcohols, collectively known as ‘fusel oils’. The exact point of the cuts will have a significant effect on the final product. If you visit a malt whisky distillery you will see the flow of the alcohol pass through the customs locked ’spirits safe’.

Chill Filtering

Many whiskies advertise themselves as ‘non-chill filtered’. Chill filtering is a process that takes place before the whisky is bottled, whereby the liquid is cooled to usually between -5ºC and 0ºC and then passed through an adsorption filter. The chilling of the liquid causes molecules of  (supposedly) flavoursome proteins, esters and fatty acids to coagulate on the filter and remove themselves from the liquid.

Chill filtering is done mainly for cosmetic reasons. A non-chill filtered whisky that has water added to it will often turn cloudy because the impurities removed by the filtering process are not soluble in lower abv liquids. The argument is that chill filtering also removes some of the whiskies flavour and as a result non-chill filtered whiskies retain more flavour.

Bottle Strength

Some whiskies are released at ‘cask strength’. The beauty of cask strength whisky is that it allows the drinker to enjoy the whisky at their own desired strength. Of course you can do this by adding water to any bottle of whisky, but since cask strength whiskies are usually 50%abv+, there is a greater range of abv available.

Adding water can quickly release some highly volatile compounds that are, until the addition of water, preserved in the whiskies alcohol. Very old whiskies tend to have higher concentrations of these fragile aromatics, adding water (or ‘awakening the serpent’) will momentarily reveal their aromas, but once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Glass

A long glass, such as a flute, has a small surface area of liquid, but it channels the aroma up your nose. Shorter glasses, such as a rocks, have a large surface area for the aromas to escape, but because of the wide bowl many of the subtle notes will escape. THe exact shape and sice of a glass will determine the amount of alcohol and the other aromas that you perceive.

I think it’s hard to fully appreciate the many facets of a whisky until you have tried it with and without water in a variety of glassware.

Bottling

You can buy many whiskies as either distillery bottlings or independent bottlings. Independent bottlers such as Master of Malt and Compass Box will buy up casks of whisky from distilleries and age them as they see fit, they will then be released with the distillery name when the bottler deems it appropriate. This can be a great way to try rare and expensive whiskies at more reasonable prices. It’s worth noting  that a distillery bottle of Port Ellen (for example) will always be worth more than an independent bottling.

You may or may not be aware that I also have a Flickr account where I upload all of my photos. You can see the photo stream at the top of the blog page, this updates every time I upload. Of course it doesn’t show every single photo that get’s beamed up to my Flickr account, so you may be interested in subscribing to my photos, which will also allow you to see my comments and let you comment yourself on individual snaps. The truth is that a lot of the time I use my Flickr account like a separate blog for photos, expect to see books, drinks, bottles, coffee, latte art, people, places and every now and again some nice photography.

If you already have a Flickr account this is easy and i’m at risk of telling your grandmother how to suck eggs, but… go to my photostream page and add me as a contact.

If you don’t have a Flickr account it’s very easy to set-up, but if you’re totally against it you can still subscribe to my RSS feed here.

It’s that simple, looking forward to your comments!

There are four main Malt Whisky producing regions in Scotland and each one loosely adheres to a distinct style.

Lowland – Light, grassy, honey, floral.
Highland – Robust, powerful, malt, wood and resinous.
Speyside – Delicate, aromatic, winey, pungent.
Islay/Island – Big, smokey, phenolic, salty.

Out of 96 single malt distilleries in Scotland, about half are based around the river Spey, a good proportion in the Highlands leaving only three in the Lowlands and around a dozen Island or Islay Whiskys.

Age

The age statement on a bottle of Scotch refers to the youngest whisky in the bottle, all Malt whisky must be aged for a minimum of three years to be classed as whisky.

The longer a whisky ages the more wood character it takes on and the less distillery character it retains. The skill of the blender is to balance this process into a structured end product. Older does not necessarily mean better, but it will usually be more expensive, if only because of the investment of time and space.

Just as important as time is temperature and the size of the cask. Smaller casks mean faster aging and the altitude and ambient temperature will also speed up or slow down the process.

Wood

The type of wood used to make the cask plays an important role. Oak can be broadly categorised into American white oak (usually sourced from the American whisky industry) and European red oak (from either the Cognac, sherry or Port industries). The liquid formerly contained in the cask plays only a tiny role in the end product, since casks are usually broken down by coopers, rebuilt, and then charred or toasted.

American oak is most commonly used and it imparts the sweetness of vanilla, caramel, chocolate and coconut.

European oak is more diverse, giving the whisky a deep red hue and contributing spice, winey flavours and plenty of dried fruit.

Still shape

Not the sort of information that is likely to be listed on the bottle, but the height and shape of the still used to produce your whisky will have a huge bearing on the style of the dram. A tall still, such as the ones at Glenkinchie in the Lowlands, produces a very light spirit that retains less of the malt cereal notes from the mash. Shorter stills will allow more heavy alcohols and fusel oils to pass through, resulting in a more character distillate.

Lighter distillates require less time in wood in order to have a significant oak influence.

Tall Stills at Glenkinchie

PPM

The measurement of Phenolic Parts per Million will tell you how smoky a dram is. The smoke character of a whisky is introduced during the malt drying stage of production.

After the barley used to make the whisky has been tricked into germinating (this releases enzymes that convert starch into sugar) it must then be dried. Traditionally peat is used as part of the fuel for the drying fires, especially in Islay whiskys.

These days the amount of peat smoke used is measured very precisely in order to achieve the right level of smoke character. The amount of peat flavour in the final product is measured in PPM, with 0ppm being no peat at all and 50ppm being pretty darn high. There are one or two whiskys out there that have broken the 100ppm barrier mind you…

Do check whether the PPM of your favourite Isalnd whisky is measured before (the malted, peated barley) or after (new make whisky) distilling as the distilled product measures around 40% less PPM.

Keep an eye out for the upcoming post “Five more things you should know about your Malt Whisky”

Since I basically work for a rival brand of Martin Miller’s excellent gin, it was all the more of an honour to be invited to the session and a testament to some of the great good will that is out there amongst brand ambassadors and bartenders. We are all in the industry because we love spirits and alcohol, the more we can share, the more beautiful a place the world will be.

I’ll just take 3 minutes to compose myself…

Ok, I’m back.

Craig’s session was an exploration of the evolution of the Martini, from Jerry Thomas’ Martinez listed in The Bon Vivant’s companion all the way up to present day with Martin Miller’s personal favourite – a Dry Martini garnished with an olive and a lemon twist – Not surprising when you consider that this is a man who has probably accepted most things that have been offered to him in his life!…

The session was well paced, informative, interactive and even funny (If you get the dark Scottish humor), with some great quotes from classic cocktail books. A few martinis was exactly what I needed after a long afternoon doing vodka training in East London. I personally really enjoyed the 1903 Martini, one of the earliest known references to the cocktail taken from a drinks pamphlet. Laura liked the slightly sweeter Martinez.

The icing on the cake was a room at the Martin Miller’s residence, which truly is a stunning place. As I already hinted Martin Miller appears to be somewhat of a kleptomaniac who only deals in the rare and valuable, the gin included.

Something had to give however, and it was the blog. So apologies for the lack of posting in recent months, but you’ll hopefully be pleased to hear that I found the situation so unacceptable that I had no other option to quit my job at Diageo. Well, that and the fact that the new business venture now requires my full attention as I brace the main sail (or something like that) on the stormy seas of enterprise.

http://www.fluid-movement.com

Fluid Movement is a company that was set up by myself along with fellow partners Thomas Aske, Matt Whiley and Bryan Pieterson. I wont bother repeating what is already stated on the website, but suffice to say that we will be (in fact we already are) conducting consultancy, events and training programs with an emphasis on quality through education, across the UK and internationally. I’ll say this only once – If you would like to get in touch to hear more about our services you can contact me on tristan (at) fluid-movement.com (dot) com.

It’s a very exciting time and I’m looking forward to applying myself 100% to something that is fuelled by my own passion and that of the other guys. I can share with you one of the jobs we are already in the process of completing, out in Azerbaijan, a restaurant with two bars called Chinar.

More on that at the Fluid Movement Blog. (no more plugs now)

This blog will remain separate from the business as it did (for the most part) during my time at Diageo. I have a big list of things that I want to write about, just need to find the time to do it.

Sugarcane is a type grass; when you press it, the resulting juice has a sugar content of between 15-20 brix (15-20% sugar). It’s not often that you see crates of raw sugar cane in your local ASDA, but sugar cane products are readily available in the form of crystalised sugar. Different sugars will make subtle changes to the flavour of a rum, each type of sugar is unique depending on its production and origin.

You can also make rum from sugar cane honey (the juice of the cane boiled down and concentrated), or molasses.

Fermentation

Molasses is the raw material used to make the vast majority of the worlds rums. Quite simply, molasses is the bi-product of the sugar refining process. Once all easily obtainable sugar has been extracted from the juice of sugar cane, the leftover sticky black substance is known as ‘black-strap’ or molasses. Surprisingly it can be as rich as 50 brix (50% sugar), though usually it is around 20-30 brix.

These sugars are perfect for fermenting and the other compounds within the molasses provide adequate nutrients for the yeast to thrive.

Fermentation can last anything from 50 hours, right up to 2 weeks for rum. The hot Caribbean/Central American climate, that most rums are produced in, lends itself well to a speedy and efficient ferment, thriving in 25-30°C. Molasses needs first to be diluted with around four parts water to every single part of molasses (though every producer will differ slightly). The sugar level of undiluted molasses would be uninhabitable for yeast.

First, warm you molasses up in a sink full of hot water, this will make it less viscous. Pour the molasses into a fermenting bin and add hot water equal to four times the volume of molasses. The water will need to be hot in order to dilute the molasses sufficiently. Let it cool. When the mixture reaches around 35°C it’s time to add the yeast. Any wine making or, even better, champagne yeast will be up to the challenge, hydrate well before adding it, then give everything a jolly good stir to aerate.

At this stage it is advisable to use a hydrometer to measure the the specific gravity (or relative density) of the unfermented wort. The hydrometer will float at different levels according to the liquids density and its potential alcohol content. A reading of around 1.050 to 1.080, would be a desirable, as it indicates a potential to create 6-10% abv. Once fully fermented another reading can be taken, deducting that number from the original SG will tell you the final abv of the wash, with the help of this chart.

When fermentation is complete the liquid is a bit like a heavy porter, or rich liquorice wine, retaining little of its original sweetness. The sugar has been eaten up by the yeast and converted into alcohol.

This molasses wine is now ready to be distilled. As usual I have managed to get hold of some pictures of the process involved and I am able to share with you some of my thoughts on rum production…

Distillation

Most modern rums derive much of their flavour from the aging process. Often we associate the natural influence of American oak as the flavour of distilled sugar cane, but a lot of the time we are simply tasting the magical influence oak has on a relatively neutral spirit. There are of course exceptions (Wray & Nephew springs to mind), but many of our favourite brands retain little of their distillate character when it eventually comes to bottling.

Rum that is made in a column still usually has most, if not all, of is characteristics removed. It is essentially purified, much like a vodka. In fact many new make (unaged) rums could be legally sold as vodkas if the producer was inclined to do so.

Rum that is pot distilled (in much the same way as a whisky) tends to retain more of the flavours and aromas from the molasses or cane that it is made from. This artisan method of production is far less efficient than a column still, but it does often result in a more naturally characterful spirit. Retaining rich, resinous sugar flavours and usually a fair amount of liquorice too.

The strength of the distillate extracted from a pot still will depend on the shape and height of the still. The longer the neck on a still, the purer and lighter the spirit will be, this is because a long neck encourages reflux to occur. Reflux is a process of evaporation and condensation of spirit and water vapour that takes place continuously within most pot stills. As the fermented wash rises up the neck, the distiller controls the temperature at the head. A steady decrease in temperature from bottom to top encourages only light alcohols to make their way up and over the ‘goose’s neck’. The longer the neck, the greater the chance that impure low alcohols and water will never make it over and in to the condenser.

With this in mind, a pot still with a long neck can produce a spirit of anything up to 40%abv in the first run. This stuff wont be all that drinkable mind you, containing many of the soluble impurities from the wash as well as lighter alcohols like methanol and acetone. No,  the second distillation in pot still is where it’s at, further purifying the spirit and drawing off liquid somewhere in the region of 80% abv.

At this level the resulting liquid (when cut with water to 40% abv) doesn’t smell particularly nice. Plenty of harsh liquorice notes, and none of the sweet, buttery candy-floss tones that we would commonly associate with spirit derived from sugary nectar. But the process is not finished just yet, oh no no no!

The next part involves patience (and an oak barrel).

Ageing

Coincidentally this barrel has my name on it!

The spirit requires ageing.

As I already mentioned, the vast majority of the rums available today go through an ageing process, sometimes only for a matter of days. The reason that producers do this is to positively alter the flavour of the distillate. I often liken oak barrels to inside-out tea bags. The wood contains flavours (cellulose, hemicellulose, tannins and lignins) that will interact with the spirit and, aided by a degree of oxidisation, have a massive impact on the aroma and taste of the liquid.

The surface area of a 5l cask is around 2000 cm² (2.5ml/cm²), comparatively an average industrial oak cask would have a volume of 200l and a surface area of 20,000 cm²(10ml/cm²). A barrel forty times the size has four times the liquid volume to surface area ratio.

In a tiny 5 litre cask, with a low surface area to volume ratio, the effect is noticeable in less than a day.

Below is a picture of rum extracted from a 5l cask after only a month ageing. The rum went in to the barrel crystal clear, but during its time in there it has picked up colour as well as soluble and insoluble compounds. An alcometer tells us that the spirit has an abv of 43%.

A few things to take note of:

1/ It’s cloudy. It seems that some of the compounds taken from the oak are insoluble in water/alcohol. You might suspect that the cloudiness is a result of fusel oils present within the distillate itself, but I can assure you that the spirit was crystal clear before entering the cask.

2/ It has a strange green tinge to it (we’re all thinking urine, I know), rather than the golden colour that we would normally associate with rum.

On a plus side, however, I can vouch for both its taste and smell. The barrel has performed a miracle act, converting some very stubborn odours into buttery, caramel, chocolate softness. The length of finish was once a sickening liquorice twang, now it is a soft, mouth-coating warmth, with just a touch of resinous sugar sweetness. It’s not the best rum in the world, but it’s flavoursome, interesting and, dare I say it, balanced.

So, how to get rid of the cloudiness?

Filtration

Let’s start with a simple mechanical filtration, a paper coffee filter should do.

As you can see, the paper filter has removed much of the larger debris, leaving a residue of brown… stuff… tiny bits of oak I’m assuming. But the spirit is still cloudy. Time for some more aggressive techniques, charcoal filtration should help.

Many of the white rums that we consume are in fact aged products that have been filtered in order to remove the colour. In many cases this is stated on the label: Havana Club Anejo Blanco, “aged white”. As with any other aged rum, this is done to positively influence the the flavour and aroma of the product, softening some of the more aggressive distillery characteristics. These white rums, that are stripped of their colour, are almost always filtered through activated carbon. See my previous post on filtration for more about this.

Activated charcoal is of course quite easy to get hold of, it’s the stuff inside any common water filter cartridge.

I’m going to give my filtration an even better chance of removing the cloudiness by first cooling the spirit right down in a freezer. In the spirits industry this is called ‘chill filtering’. It works on the basis that many of the fatty acids, esters and proteins present within spirits are insoluble at lower temperatures. By chilling the liquid down the filtration process is more likely to be effective. You might have seen certain whiskies advertising themselves as ‘non-chill filtered’. This is because many whisky aficionados believe that the removal of these insoluble compounds is actually detrimental to the taste and aroma of the final product. A non-chill filtered whisky can often be spotted by the addition of water, as many of the compounds that would be removed by the process are also insoluble in lower alcohol solutions. Chill filtering is usually performed at around 0ºC.

And the result? It’s still a bit cloudy…

So the final product is a liquid that has lost much of its colour through the filtration process, and certainly a degree of its cloudiness, but not all of it. I would wager that more filtering, perhaps through a larger filter, would remove all of the haze and probably most of the colour. Or perhaps a laboratory grade filter? Or maybe chilling down the charcoal?

Maybe i’ll have a think about it whilst sipping on a nice ‘Dark and Stormy Clouds’!

March 29th EDIT: Since January I have had a few conversations with people about cloudy rum. Jamie MacDonald who is an ambassador for Grand Marnier and Appleton Estate and also the owner of Raconteur in Edinburgh had some interesting insight. He hasn’t made rum as such, but he has infused bitters and the like and repeatedly found that the addition of raw cane sugar causes his creations to go cloudy. I did indeed add a small amount of cane sugar to my rum during the ageing process, it seems that this may be the culprit.

This is reassuring, since it not only gives an reason to the problem, but also removes any suspicion of something dangerous being present within the rum. Anyone know what the craic is with raw cane sugar and alcohol?

As far as non-espresso coffee goes, I have always had a great love for the Aeropress and Cafetiere. One of the problems that I have with the aeropress is that it doesn’t make enough coffee (greed), and the main problem that I and many others have with the good old French press, is that you inevitably get some sludge in the cup no matter what you do to avoid it1. Incidentally my other criticism of the press pot is that a plunged pot, in my eyes, is still brewing away albeit at a slower rate.

I guess the main negative of pour over for me, was that it almost seemed too simple! How can you make coffee brewing easier than by pouring hot water through a filter holding ground coffee? Well you can’t, but as with most things in life – simple is often better.

And that’s true in this case.

Up until quite recently I had been enjoying some great results from my ceramic cone and old school filter. I also own a Bodum Kona and a Bodum Bistro pour over setups, with the gold filters that don’t actually work. But after watching this downright amazing video, which details in perfectly spoken Japanese how the Hario V60 dripper works, I was sold. (Paerhaps it was the rather suggestive young lady holding that oversized paper filter that did it for me?)

So I have been playing around with grind size, dose and even pouring technique. I liken the pouring technique bit to stirring or shaking a cocktail, everyone does it differently, but often little thought is put into exactly why we do things one way or another. Well, there is no doubt in my mind that the way you pour water is crucial to the quality of the final cup. I have even gone as far as to pilfer an an olive oil pourer from my own mothers house, to aid me in my quest for the perfect pour. I want one of those Hario ones, but they have eluded me for the time being! (By the way, anyone know where to pick one up in LA?)

You'd better believe that the spout on that thing delivers water where I want it to be.

I have also been referring to the SCAA coffee brewing control chart. This nifty chart asks you how many grams of coffee you are using per litre of water and then indicates the anticipated TDS (total disolved solids) for the brew. By measuring the TDS you can find the percentage of solubles yield from the extraction, and from this you can gauge how successful the brew was and whether or not you need to alter your dose, grind size, or pouring technique. It can also clear up issues involving a bitter tasting or underdeveloped cup of coffee.

Of course we all ultimately rate the quality of a cup of coffee by the level of enjoyment we get from it, but it really is even more enjoyable when you have the science to back it up. My Hario produces a wonderful clean cup of translucent red coffee that exhibits all of the characteristics of the bean that I want transferred into the drink. It’s quick to use, a great economical way of drinking coffee and hardly any cleaning is required. What more can you ask for?